


Saeko

by Rainewritesfanfics



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Genre: Gen, Introspection, Late at Night, Secret Identity, saeko-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-11-07 21:26:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17968346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainewritesfanfics/pseuds/Rainewritesfanfics
Summary: Mizuno Saeko is a busy woman. But just because she works hard doesn’t mean certain things escape her notice.A slightly melancholic, introspective piece featuring Ami’s mom.





	Saeko

**Author's Note:**

> I was tired of the common interpretation of Saeko as cold and uncaring. I prefer to think she’s just busy. But she loves Ami all the same.

Saeko Mizuno was a busy woman. Anyone looking at her with her severe bun, fitness tracking watch, and heavily worn soles could make that guess. 

She had been working almost 15 hours, and she was functioning on close to three hours of sleep. Her medical degree said another cup of coffee wouldn’t kill her, but her exhausted brain begged to differ. 

She glanced at her silver watch. Her eyes were feeling fuzzy, but a closer inspection revealed her lenses were filthy.

She had an hour left until she could go home and crash.

After cleaning her glasses, she shuffled back down the hall, checking in on her patients, most of whom were thankfully sleeping peacefully.

The last 10 minutes dragged, but as soon as the clock hit 4:00, she punched out and was out the door.

It was 4:18 when she got home, according to the clock on the stove.

Saeko shrugged off her coat and purse, setting them on the chair by the breakfast bar.

Ami’s schoolbag sat atop the marble dining table with a stack of calculus books beside it. 

The dishes were washed and put away. Only the sponge was out of place. 

Saeko opened the fridge, pouring herself a glass of milk and pulling out the leftovers Ami had marked for her.

10 minutes and one plate of microwaved noodles later, Saeko shuffled down the dark hall, stopping by the mirror to pull the elastic from her hair. 

Dark blue strands fell just past her shoulders, tickling at the edge of her collar. Perhaps she’d visit the salon soon to touch up the silvery strands that glimmered against the rest.

As she wandered further down the hall, she noticed Ami’s reading lamp was on, but a cursory glance through the open door showed that her daughter was fast asleep.

Good, she thought. No one should be up at this hour. 

She pressed a gentle kiss to Ami’s forehead and turned off the offending light.

Just as it went out, her gaze fell to that omnipresent blue watch.

It should be an innocuous item. It certainly looked like an arcade prize, Saeko mused as she stood in the dark. But she was no fool.

The sailor senshi had brought enough people to the ER for Saeko to have recognized that this was no mere toy.

Saeko shuffled into the hallway, shutting Ami’s door behind her. Her back pressed against the wall as she slid down. 

Ignorance is bliss. 

She wished she could go back to the days of ignorance. She wished she didn’t know it was her only child- her whole world- out there fighting monsters and aliens and alien monsters. 

Often, she asked herself if she was a bad mother for allowing Ami to go out there. Every day she worried that one day Ami would be the one showing up in the emergency room in critical condition.

But Saeko bit her tongue. She pretended to accept Ami’s lies about the bruises. “Oh, I was clumsy.” And “Oh, I bumped into this.” Perhaps if Ami were like Usagi Saeko could have lied to herself, but no. 

Saeko brought her hands up to cover her eyes before sighing. Slowly, she pushed back the anxious tears that she blamed on her exhaustion. Finally, she pulled herself back to her feet and trudged the last few steps to her bedroom door. 

She shrugged off her button down moments after shutting the door behind her. She could feel the weight of the work day sliding off with it. Her bra and pants followed before she slid into an old tee that may have once belonged to Ami’s father. 

As Saeko settled into bed, she knew sleep wouldn’t be long. Her body had practically melted into the soft embrace of her mattress.

Still, even as she drifted off, little demons of guilt gnawed at her. 

Sometimes it felt like she barely knew Ami anymore. Their schedules were nearly always in conflict, and they could go days without seeing each other. 

Rolling over, Saeko decided she was going to take a few days off. Perhaps, she thought with a small smile, Ami and her girlfriend would enjoy the botanical gardens.


End file.
